Tag Archives: literary criticism

A highly controversial article in which the author argues that “poetry is pointless”.

“To summarise, poetry can offer nothing music or books cannot. It is less creative and analysed to a point of mind-numbing repetitiveness. Poetry is extremely
boring and one dimensional and it often comes across as confusing and obscure. It does not carry the same complexity as music and is unenjoyable for most
audiences. Poetry in contemporary society merely a forgotten relic of Shakespearean times”. (https://medium.com/@diofer225/poetry-is-pointless-46b08731e95a)

As a poet, I disagree profoundly with the contention that “poetry is pointless”. However, I think the author of this diatribe against poetry has a point when he states that children can come to dislike poetry owing to them being forced to analyse poems. Whilst I firmly believe that the analysis of poetry is valuable, if such analysis is done in the wrong manner (I.E. the student being told that the poem has only one meaning, and that his/her own perspective on the poem is irrelevent) then I can completely understand why students are put off poetry. Students should be encouraged to furnish their own perspectives on poetry (and, of course back these up with evidence), thereby enhancing both their interest in poetry and their ability to think critically.

As for the view that poetry is less complex than music, anyone who has read “The Wasteland” knows this perspective for the nonsense that it patently is. The truth is that both music and poetry can be complex, but neither art form is necessarily so.

I am amused by the author’s view that poetry can offer nothing which books can not. Does he not know that many poems are printed in books!

In conclusion, ultimately the author of the article dislikes poetry and in support of his/her anti-poetry stance picks a few articles which, he/she claims, support his perspective. The article is more a diatribe against poetry rather than a serious piece of argumentation.

According to the article, Instagram has led to a significant growth in the number of young people reading poetry online thereby democratising the world of poetry. While some poets confine themselves to Instagram, others have graduated to bookstores.

Instagram poets are viewed by some literary critics as debasing/commercialising the poetic craft, while other people see the utilisation of Instagram by poets as a means of giving a voice to minorities.

I, personally view Instagram as one means of promoting my poetry. I began by posting on this site (kmorrispoet.com), moved on to ebooks and (later) print, and I’m now on Instagram. Any means of communication can, of course be used to post pap, however Instagram (or any other medium) can also be utilised to promote work of genuine literary merit. To me anything which implants in readers a love of poetry can only be a good thing.

A good article entitled “What Makes a Good Poem”. I agree with most of what is written, particularly the below,
“Economy of language: In most cases, if you can express something clearly and fully in a hundred words, you shouldn’t use a thousand. Language that is concise
is more memorable and resonates more deeply than verbiage, which tends to feel messy”.

I have often read a poem and thought that, had it been shorter, the work in question would have possessed greater impact.

On local radio today I learned that November 1st is National Author’s Day, https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/authors-day/. I must confess to not having heard of this celebration until early this morning and being intrigued did a little digging which turned up the above link.

From the above, it appears that Author’s Day is an American celebration (it was certainly started in the USA). However given that it was mentioned on a (UK) local radio station, this celebration would appear to have crossed the Atlantic.

I would be interested to know whether any of my readers has any additional information regarding Author’s Day?